Kidney Stones are small pebbles that are made up of salts and minerals in the urine that stick together. They range in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. They can either stay in the kidneys or travel out your body through the urinary tract system that makes urine and carries it out of the body. The system includes the kidneys, the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder called the ureter, the bladder, and the urethra, the tube that leads from the bladder out of the body. Kidney stones from when an alteration occurs in the normal balance of salts, water, minerals, and other substances found in urine. How the balance is affected determines the type of kidney stone. Most are calcium type that form when calcium levels in the urine change. There are a multitude of causes that can alter and change the urine balance. The most common cause is not drinking enough water. When …show more content…
Your doctor will recommend you to drink more water and other fluids to prevent dehydration. If a stone is too large to pass on its own, or if it gets stuck somewhere along in the urinary tract, it will require more treatment. The most common treatment is ESWL or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. It uses shock waves to break a kidney stone into smaller pieces. The tiny bits will then have a easier time passing out of the body. Other times include surgery or the placement of a small flexible plastic tube called a stent in the ureter to keep it open while the stone passes. After the initial stone, you are more likely to have them again. The best prevention is drinking plenty of water or fluids, enough o that the urine is light yellow or clear as water. Doctors will also advise to stay clear of food with an excess amount of sodium and some may prescribe medicine that can help prevent stones. The best case is to drink enough water to prevent any stones from forming at all as you